So who is the perfect manager?

[gosox41]

All this talk about a new Sox manager has me wondering a few things. First, who do you consider the best manager currently in MLB and why?

Second, in a world where JR spends money, who would you want to manage this team? I'm only referring to guys that are actually available to manage this team right now so that leaves out Baker, Torre, etc.

The reason I ask is if one picks just about any manager in baseball, there can be a ton of faults found with him. Torre wasn't a great manager until he came to the Yankees. On the flip side, Ken Macha won 97 games on a team with a $40 mill. payroll and after the season Terrence Long said that most players can't stand him. It's almost like the Sox should buy a Dell computer and have that computer manage by "the book." When it comes to leadership ability, some are too easy-going (ie Cito Gaston) and some are too intense (Wally Backman). Some (Bell, Francona,) never won when they did manage, but whose to say they can't now?

So after reading through all these threads, I just want to get a feel for who would be a good choice for the Sox. There's been a lot of focus on the negative, but there's got to be some positive in some of these guys.

Bob

[michned]

Originally posted by gosox41
So after reading through all these threads, I just want to get a feel for who would be a good choice for the Sox. There's been a lot of focus on the negative, but there's got to be some positive in some of these guys.


One would think that a veteran team like the Sox would respond better to a veteran manager with major league playing experience. But to hear Buddy Bell is a leading candidate? C'mon, what has this guy ever done as a manager? And for that matter, he played 18 years, mostly with bad teams and never played in the postseason.

But Uncle Jerry likes him and that's all that matters.

[winodj]

Who would be the best possible skipper for the Sox?

Two words: Bea Arthur.

[kittle42]

Originally posted by winodj
Who would be the best possible skipper for the Sox?

Two words: Bea Arthur.

And then there's Maude...

[alohafri]

Two words:

Jack McKeon.

He knows how to manage a young team, he knows how to use his pitchers (knows when to hold 'em and knows when to fold 'em). He brought a sub-500 team into the WS. I'm in awe of the way he has handled the Marlins.

He hasn't decided if he'll come back next year and manage the Marlins again. I would love for the Sox to find someone just like him.



Mrs. Aloha

[winodj]

I'm all about Joe Torre if he doesnt win the Series and Steinbrenner sends him packing.

[jeremyb1]

I'm really of the opinion that there is no such thing as a good manager in baseball. No team is perfect and virtually any fault found with any team is attributed to the manager, especially amongst the fans. I think you'd be hard pressed to find fans of any team that are completely happy with their manager. Fans tend to rely on hindsight and therefore since theoretically the manager has the ability to prevent any mistake in a game by using a pinch hitter, runner, defensive replacement, or managing the pen differently all managers are going to take heat. Even if the manager didn't make a strategic mistake, the fans will still blame the manager for any mistakes made by the team because the manager will take the blame for not motivating his players better. There are a lot of managers that are considered to be great but that only occurs on a national level. Most people who watch the majority of a team's games will have issues with the manager.